The Gates of Hope
This meditation is shared from the Pause Channel on Aura.
Meditation gives us hope. It shows us that our crazed emotions and neurotic patterns of thought are not hopeless. That change is possible. That neurons can grow and new connections can blossom.
Meditation helps us see that we are not forever subject to the whim of old habits and past experiences. We know sometimes we are unable to perceive the world behind the veil of our skewed perceptions and emotional turbulences. But through practice, we can see the world and ourselves with new eyes. Meditation shows us that after all, there really is nothing to improve. Everything is as it is. And somehow, it’s perfect.
The poem below - The Gates of Hope - deeply resonates with us. We come, we sit, and we pay attention, not trying to force our minds into how we think they should be, but to respect the wisdom of our beings. We go into that place of loneliness with an open heart and an open mind. We open up to all the joys and sorrows. We sit together. And we celebrate this being human.
We invite you to join us. You, and all of you, are welcome. We will tell you what we see. And you are free to tell us what you see.
The Gates of Hope
By Victoria Safford
Our mission is to plant ourselves at the gates of Hope— Not the prudent gates of Optimism, Which are somewhat narrower. Not the stalwart, boring gates of Common Sense; Nor the strident gates of Self-Righteousness, Which creak on shrill and angry hinges (People cannot hear us there; they cannot pass through) Nor the cheerful, flimsy garden gate of “Everything is gonna’ be all right.” But a different, sometimes lonely place, The place of truth-telling, About your own soul first of all and its condition. The place of resistance and defiance, The piece of ground from which you see the world Both as it is and as it could be As it will be; The place from which you glimpse not only struggle, But the joy of the struggle. And we stand there, beckoning and calling, Telling people what we are seeing Asking people what they see.
Try our guided 7-minute Circle of Loving-Kindness Meditation above that brings a sense of hope to the forefront and calls to mind all of the people who have helped shape who you are today.